Ruminations on the U.N.

I have been studying the United Nations for most of career. For the last years, I have directed Drew University’s Semester on the United Nations, which was established in 1962. Every fall semester, 20 undergraduate students join me in a classroom in the U.N. complex in New York City to learn first hand the institution’s history, politics and policies. Guest speakers, many of them working for the U.N., member-states’ diplomatic missions or NGOs associated to the U.N., regularly visit the classroom to share their expertise on a myriad of issues. We also get a chance to attend different type of meetings at the U.N. Headquarters.

This is a new blog and its goal simple. It is space that allows me to share my thoughts on the international politics that affect the U.N. and how these politics shape its policy outcomes.

The U.N. General Assembly’s General Debate starts on September 25, 2018. This year’s theme is “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People.” While this is a lofty title, it fails to capture the U.N.’s short-term challenges: convincing the Trump administration’s of its relevance. Since he announced his candidacy for the presidency, Donald Trump has…